When shoppers think of Holt Renfrew, they think about its renowned fashion, lifestyle offerings, and unparalleled retail experiences. Certainly Holt Renfrew has been setting high standards in the retail space for years, but it’s also been paving the way for a more responsible and conscious retail sector by embracing sustainability as a core value. Holt Renfrew believes retail can be a force for good – and we couldn’t agree more.
In GoBolt’s latest Merchant Spotlight, Holt Renfrew’s VP Brand & Creative Strategy, Alexandra Weston shares how the company integrates sustainability, what goes into its strategic partnerships and why sustainability isn’t a buzzword, but a guiding principle that drives the company’s actions.
Holt Renfrew has long been a leader in sustainability. How has Holt Renfrew integrated sustainability into its brand identity?
Sustainability is embedded into how we operate at Holt Renfrew starting with our brand mission and pillars. Our mission is to empower self-expression and ignite positive change and one of our key pillars that define who we are and the decisions we make is Sustainability. This means goals, initiatives and targets are part of our everyday strategic operational dashboards and help set our long term strategies.
There’s a line on the Holt Renfrew sustainability page that really jumped out to us. It reads, “retail can be a force for good.” Can you elaborate on this? And tell us, how Holt Renfrew continually strives to improve its sustainability efforts?
As a retailer we sit in a unique position engaging with both our brands, who are the producers of goods, and the customers. In this position it gives us the opportunity to use our platform to educate customers but also influence brands and product curations. We can help celebrate products that are being more responsibly produced and link them to the consumers interested. As well we can align with partners who share our values across all aspects of our business operations.
What makes Holt Renfrew’s sustainable focus unique in the retailing sector?
Holt Renfrew was the first Canadian company in the retailing sector with approved Science Based Targets in 2021 making our commitment to reducing global warming and climate change ahead of others in our industry in Canada. However, we need everyone onboard to make a collective difference.
You’ve kicked off the New Year in partnership with GoBolt for final mile deliveries across Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal. Can you tell us how this new partnership further drives your efforts to be a positive influence in the retail world and beyond?
As a retailer our scope 3 carbon reduction is the hardest of the three to tackle. We have been doing a deep dive into our transportation and shipment of goods as part of working to reduce emissions. Partnering with GoBolt, who shares our values when it comes to sustainability, will help us move the needle on reducing carbon from the transportation of goods in our operations.
Given your innovation within Retail, we’d like to hear more about your logistics operation across Canada. What does GoBolt offer that’s enhancing the customer experience for Holt Renfrew’s shoppers?
Our partnership with GoBolt allows us to deliver next day last mile deliveries across Canada using a mix of internal combustion engine and electric vehicles, allowing us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s innovative approaches and partnerships such as this that allows us to take positive action on the environment while elevating the customer experience. Overall, a WIN-WIN collaboration.
Thank you, Alexandra, for partnering with GoBolt!
Learn more about how GoBolt’s tech-forward, third-party logistics and fulfillment operations help brands deliver stellar customer support experiences, by contacting our team.
